Turkey Condemns Israeli Airstrikes in Syria

PHOTO CAPTION: Abu al-Duhur airbase following strikes, Syria, August 18, 2026. REUTERS/Stringer

ANKARA, Aug. 19 — Turkey on Wednesday rejected what it called “untenable allegations” from Israel about its military position in Syria after Israeli forces struck a Syrian airbase near the Turkish border and said Damascus was close to allowing Turkish troops to deploy there.

Israel carried out airstrikes Tuesday against the Abu al-Duhur airbase near Aleppo, prompting condemnation from Ankara and criticism from a U.S. envoy who described the attack as an “unnecessary escalation.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said late Tuesday that Syria was close to violating a “status quo agreed with Israel in security matters” by allowing Turkish troops to deploy at the base. It said such a deployment would threaten Israeli security and would not be tolerated.

Turkey’s presidency rejected that account, accusing Netanyahu’s government of pursuing “expansionist and destabilising policies” ahead of elections in Israel. Ankara said lasting regional peace would require Israel to respect international law and abandon what Turkey described as “aggressive and coercive policies.”

“The untenable allegations put forward by the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office are intended to legitimise Israel’s unlawful airstrikes targeting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the Turkish presidency said on X.

Turkey did not explicitly address whether it planned to deploy troops to Abu al-Duhur. It said Ankara would continue working with the Syrian government “on a legitimate basis” to promote peace, stability and prosperity and “will never allow the destabilisation of Syria.”

Tensions rise over military presence in Syria

Tuesday’s strikes came amid worsening tensions between Israel and Turkey and increasingly sharp rhetoric over Syria, where both countries’ militaries are active.

Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, has emerged as one of Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s principal allies. Ankara accuses Israel of seeking to destabilize Syria and undermine its new government and has repeatedly called for international pressure on Israel to respect Syrian territorial integrity.

Turkey has been training Syria’s military, assisting in the rebuilding of state institutions and infrastructure, and providing military and diplomatic support.

Despite their differences, Turkey and Israel established a communication channel last year designed to prevent incidents between their forces in Syria. The two countries have also been sharply at odds over the war in Gaza.

Tom Barrack, the U.S. special presidential envoy for Syria and Iraq, told Reuters after Tuesday’s strikes that Washington was working to establish a deconfliction mechanism involving Israel, Turkey and Syria. He said the United States already facilitates information sharing and dialogue among the parties.

Facebook Caption

(Source: Reuters)